System and method for advance warning of severe weather for general aviation aircraft

ABSTRACT

A system and method for advanced warning of severe weather for general aviation aircraft is presented. An aircraft includes an onboard weather tracker which monitors atmospheric condition changes. The weather tracker uses data from an onboard barometric altimeter and a GPS device to calculate air pressure changes in order to identify when the aircraft is flying into a low-pressure zone. The weather tracker uses the air pressure&#39;s rate of change and the aircraft&#39;s speed to determine the criticality of a situation and appropriately notifies a pilot. The weather tracker provides the pilot with local airport information and alternative flight pattern information per the pilot&#39;s request.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates in general to a system and methodfor advanced warning of severe weather for general aviation aircraft.More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and methodfor monitoring atmospheric conditions and notifying a pilot ofatmospheric pressure changes.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Business, commercial, and general aviation aircraft include largeaircraft that is in use by commercial airliners as well as smallaircraft which are in use by private pilots. A large aircraft may detectchanging atmospheric conditions enroute by using an onboard weatherradar system that identifies an upcoming weather pattern, such as athunderstorm. Most general aviation aircraft, however, do not typicallyhave onboard weather tracking equipment and, therefore, a majority ofpilots depend on less sophisticated means to identify upcoming stormpatterns.

[0005] These pilots typically rely on weather maps in which they printand view prior to a flight. A challenge found, however, is that theseweather maps are outdated by time the pilot completes his flight. Forexample, a pilot may use a weather map and assume he is flying on theperimeter of a severe thunderstorm. However, if the storm patternchanges speed or direction, the pilot may find himself heading into thethunderstorm.

[0006] A private or commercial pilot holds a certificate upon which hemay have a rating of instrument airplane or instrument helicopter thatpermits him to fly in visually impaired conditions. For example, a pilotthat has an instrument airplane rating is permitted to fly in cloudswhereby the pilot uses his onboard instrumentation to fly his aircraft.Instrument airplane rated pilots are typically the pilots that encountersevere weather predicaments because the pilot starts flying into a cloudand he is not able to determine whether upcoming weather conditions arebetter or worse than what he is currently experiencing.

[0007] Moisture content changes are a major factor which cause unstableweather conditions. Moisture content changes, in turn, create airpressure changes. In particular, low-pressure areas typically indicatesevere weather conditions that include thunderstorms and wind gusts. Achallenge found, however, is that a pilot is not aware of changingpressure conditions and, more importantly, the pilot is not aware of therate at which the pressure conditions are changing.

[0008] What is needed, therefore, is a system and method for informing apilot as to changing pressure conditions during a flight in order toprovide the pilot severe weather advance warning.

SUMMARY

[0009] It has been discovered that the aforementioned challenges areresolved by calculating atmospheric pressure changes using a weathertracker to receive data from an onboard barometric altimeter and aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) device. The weather tracker notifies auser in response to the rate of atmospheric pressure changes and anaircraft's speed.

[0010] The weather tracker monitors changing pressure conditions thatsurround an aircraft in order to provide a pilot advanced warning ofsevere weather, such as weather that accompanies a low-pressure area.The aircraft includes a barometric altimeter which displays an altitudereading based upon a fixed reference pressure that a pilot receives athis departing airport prior to take-off.

[0011] A GPS device receives GPS signals from GPS satellites andcomputes an aircraft's longitude, latitude, and true altitude. The truealtitude is the aircraft's actual altitude which is not affected bychanging pressure conditions that surround the aircraft. The weathertracker calculates changing atmospheric conditions using the barometricaltimeter's altitude reading, the reference pressure that is set attake-off, and the GPS device's true altitude measurement.

[0012] The weather tracker retrieves preferences information and usesthe preferences information to determine whether to notify the user ofchanging weather conditions based upon calculated pressure changes andthe aircraft's speed For example, the user may configure the weathertracker to notify the user whenever the weather tracker calculates anatmospheric pressure change greater than 0.15 inches of mercury whilethe aircraft is traveling over 200 mph.

[0013] The weather tracker displays a notification message on a displayto notify the user of the atmospheric pressure changes and may continueto display the notification message until the weather tracker receivesan acknowledgement message from the user. The user may also requestalternative flight information from the device, such as local airportlocations or alternative flight path information.

[0014] The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity,simplifications, generalizations, and omissions of detail; consequently,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary isillustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Otheraspects, inventive features, and advantages of the present invention, asdefined solely by the claims, will become apparent in the non-limitingdetailed description set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The present invention may be better understood, and its numerousobjects, features, and advantages made apparent to those skilled in theart by referencing the accompanying drawings. The use of the samereference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identicalitems.

[0016]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a user using a device to monitoratmospheric conditions that surround the user's piloted vehicle;

[0017]FIG. 2A is a look-up table showing various altitude measurementsand corresponding pressure calculations which are displayed to a user atparticular intervals;

[0018]FIG. 2B is a user configuration table showing notificationpreferences that correspond to an aircraft's speed and the aircraft'saltitude change;

[0019]FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing steps taken in calculating andprocessing pressure changes;

[0020]FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing steps taken in analyzing pressuredata along with aircraft speed, and notifying a user based upon userpreferences;

[0021]FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing steps taken in notifying a user ofpressure changes and providing alternative information in response to auser request;

[0022]FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a piloted vehicle collectingatmospheric data and sending the atmospheric data to a weather server;

[0023]FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a plurality of aircraft collectingatmospheric data and providing the data to a plurality of air trafficcontrol towers;

[0024]FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing steps taken in an aircraft sendingatmospheric data to a weather server and receiving preferences settingsfrom the weather server;

[0025]FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing steps taken in a piloted vehiclecollecting atmospheric data from onboard sensors; and

[0026]FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an information handling systemcapable of implementing the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following is intended to provide a detailed description of anexample of the invention and should not be taken to be limiting of theinvention itself. Rather, any number of variations may fall within thescope of the invention which is defined in the claims following thedescription.

[0028]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a user using a device to monitoratmospheric conditions that surround the user's piloted vehicle. User170 uses device 100 to track changing pressure conditions that surroundaircraft 190 in order to receive advanced warning of severe weather,such as weather that accompanies a low-pressure front. Aircraft 190includes sensor 135 which sends atmospheric pressure information toaltimeter 130. Altimeter 130 converts the pressure data to an altitudereading, and sends altitude reading altimeter altitude to device 100.For example, altimeter 130 may receive a pressure reading of 20.92inches of mercury (in. Hg) from sensor 135 and translate the pressurereading to an altimeter altitude of 10,000 feet.

[0029] Global Positioning System (GPS) device 150 receives GPS signalsfrom satellite 155 and computes aircraft 190's longitude, latitude, andtrue altitude. Satellite 155 is part of a plurality of geo-synchronoussatellites that orbit the earth and transmit a signal in which GPSdevice 150 uses to calculate a location. GPS device 150 typicallyreceives simultaneous signals from five or six satellites and calculatesa location based upon the time difference between the signals. GPSdevice 150 sends GPS data 160 to device 100 which includes the truealtitude of aircraft 190. The true altitude is aircraft 190's actualaltitude in which the calculation is not affected by changing pressureconditions that surround aircraft 190.

[0030] Device 100 includes weather tracker 110 which calculates changingatmospheric conditions using altimeter altitude 140, GPS data 160, and areference pressure that set by a pilot at take-off based uponinformation received through a weather channel at the pilot's departingairport (see FIGS. 2A, 3, and corresponding text for further detailsregarding pressure change calculations). For example, weather trackeruses altimeter altitude 140 and GPS data 160 to calculate an atmosphericpressure change and a corresponding altitude change. Weather tracker 110stores altimeter altitude 140, GPS data 160, and the calculatedatmospheric condition changes in data store 120. Data store 120 may bestored on a non-volatile storage area, such as random access memory.

[0031] Weather tracker 110 retrieves preferences information frompreferences 115, and uses the preferences information to identifywhether to notify user 170 of changing weather conditions based upon acalculated altitude change and aircraft 190's speed (see FIGS. 4,5, andcorresponding text for further details regarding user notification). Forexample, user 170 may configure device 100 to notify him whenever device100 measures an altitude change greater than thirty feet and aircraft190 is traveling over 200 mph.

[0032] Weather tracker 110 displays a notification message on display125 to notify user 170 of the atmospheric pressure changes. In oneembodiment, weather tracker 110 creates an audible tone to notify user170 of atmospheric pressure changes. Device 100 displays thenotification message until device 100 receives acknowledge 180 from user170. User 170 may also request alternative flight information fromdevice 100, such as local airport locations or alternative flight pathinformation, in which device 100 communicates with GPS device 150 toretrieve alternate flight information and display the informationcorresponding to user 170's request on display 125. In one embodiment,user 170 may use atmospheric pressure change information along with aweather map to identify weather pattern changes in speed or direction.

[0033]FIG. 2A is a look-up table showing various altitude measurementsand corresponding pressure calculations which are displayed to a user,such as a pilot, at particular intervals. Column 205 includes a list ofinterval times at which atmospheric data is collected at thirty minuteintervals. Column 210 includes a list of altitude measurements which areretrieved from a Global Positioning System (GPS) device at correspondinginterval times shown in column 205 whereas column 215 includes a list ofaltimeter measurements which are retrieved from an onboard altimeter atthe corresponding interval times. Column 220 includes a list ofpressures that are calculated using GPS altitude measurements, altimetermeasurements, and a fixed reference pressure that a pilot enters in theonboard barometric altimeter (see FIG. 4 and corresponding text forfurther details regarding pressure calculations). Column 225 includes alist of pressure changes corresponding to pressure calculations that arelisted in column 220 (see FIG. 4 and corresponding text for furtherdetails regarding pressure change calculations). Column 230 includes alist of altitude changes corresponding to GPS altitude measurements(e.g. column 210) relative to barometric altimeter measurements (e.g.column 215) (see FIG. 4 and corresponding text for further detailsregarding altitude change calculations).

[0034] Row 235 includes interval data that is obtained at time “12:00”.At time 12:00, a pilot is located on the ground at a departing airportwhereby the departing airport's elevation is 300 feet above sea level.The pilot listens to the departing airport's weather channel whichinforms the pilot that the current barometric pressure is 29.92 inchesof mercury (in. Hg). The pilot sets a Kollsman indicator located on hisbarometric altimeter to “29.92” which becomes his fixed referencepressure. The pilot's GPS device reads a true altitude of 300 feet andthe pilot's altimeter reads an altitude of 300 feet because the fixedreference pressure is currently the same as the actual pressure that isoutside the aircraft. At time 12:00, there is no pressure change andthere is no difference in altitude measurement between the GPS deviceand the barometric altimeter.

[0035] Row 240 includes interval data that is obtained at time “12:30”.At time 12:30, the pilot's GPS device and altimeter measures the pilot'saircraft flying at 10,000 feet. In the example shown in FIG. 2A,pressure has not changed since the pilot left the departing airport and,therefore, no pressure change is shown in row 240.

[0036] Row 245 includes interval data that is obtained at time “13:00”.At time 13:00, the pilot's GPS device measures a true altitude of 9,995feet whereas the pilot's altimeter measures an altitude of 10,000. Thepilot's altimeter measures 10,000 feet because the pilot uses thealtimeter in order to keep his aircraft at a particular altitude (i.e.10,000 feet) corresponding to his flight pattern. When atmosphericpressure changes, a barometric altimeter miscalculates a true altitudebut the pilot still flies his aircraft based upon the barometricaltimeter. Therefore, when pressure decreases, the altimeter displayshigher altitudes that the true altitude. In turn, the pilot descends hisaircraft until the altitude displays his assigned altitude. The effectof this is phenomenon is that the pilot thinks he is flying at 10,000feet but he is actually flying at a lower altitude which is measured bythe GPS device.

[0037] Row 245 includes a new pressure of 29.91 in. Hg whereby thepressure is calculated using the GPS true altitude, the altimetermeasurement, and the fixed reference pressure reading (see FIG. 4 andcorresponding text for further details regarding pressure calculations).Row 245 reflects a pressure change of 0.01 in. Hg and an altitude changeof five feet. Interval data included in row 245 indicates that the pilotis about to encounter a low pressure area.

[0038] Row 250 includes interval data that is obtained at time “13:30”.At time 13:30, the pilot's GPS device measures a true altitude of 9,950feet whereas the pilot's barometric altimeter still measures an altitudeof 10,000 because the pilot is using the altimeter to maintain hisaircraft at a particular altitude as described above. Row 250 includes anew pressure of 29.77 in. Hg that is calculated using the GPS truealtitude, the barometric altitude measurement, and the fixed referencepressure reading (see FIG. 4 and corresponding text for further detailsregarding pressure calculations). Row 250 reflects a pressure change of0.13 in. Hg and an altitude change of 45 feet. Interval data included inrow 250 indicates that the pilot is encountering a low pressure front.

[0039] Row 255 includes interval data that is obtained at time “14:00”.At time 14:00, the pilot's GPS device measures a true altitude of 9,945feet whereas the pilot's barometric altimeter still measures an altitudeof 10,000 because the pilot is using the altimeter to maintain hisaircraft at a particular altitude as described above. Row 255 includes anew pressure of 29.76 in. Hg that is calculated using the new truealtitude (see FIG. 4 and corresponding text for further detailsregarding pressure calculations). Row 255 reflects a pressure change of0.01 in. Hg and an altitude change of 5 feet. Interval data included inrow 255 indicates that the pilot is passing through a low pressure area.

[0040] During flight, a pilot may be notified of altitude changes basedupon the rate of altitude change as well as the aircraft speed (see FIG.2B, 4, and corresponding text for further details regarding notificationmessages). In the example shown in FIG. 2A, a weather tracker maydisplay a “Warning” message at row 245, and may display an “Alert”message at row 250.

[0041]FIG. 2B is a user configuration table showing notificationpreferences that correspond to an aircraft's speed and the aircraft'saltitude change. Table 260 includes columns 265, 270, and 275 which areconfigured by a user whereby the user sets notification levels basedupon the user's aircraft speed and its altitude change.

[0042] Column 265 includes a list of aircraft speed settings that a userconfigures corresponding to the capabilities of his aircraft. Forexample, a user of a small propeller driven aircraft may have aircraftspeed ranges of 0-100, 101-150, and 150-200 mph whereas a user of alarge jet aircraft may have aircraft speed ranges of 0-300, 301-450, and451-700 mph.

[0043] Column 270 includes a list of aircraft speed settings that a userconfigures corresponding to the flight pattern of his aircraft. Smallaircraft tend to fly at lower altitudes than larger altitudes and, assuch, an altitude change, such as 50 feet, is more significant to asmaller aircraft than a larger aircraft. For example, a user of a smallpropeller driven aircraft may have altitude change ranges of 0-10,11-30, and >30 feet whereas a user of a large jet aircraft may havealtitude change ranges of 0-50, 51-100, and >100 feet.

[0044] Column 275 includes a list of user defined notificationpreferences corresponding to particular aircraft speed ranges andaltitude change ranges. For example, a user may configure column 275such that he is not notified of small altitude changes when traveling atslow speeds, but he is warned of small altitude changes when travelingat faster speeds because the user will encounter severe weather at afaster rate when traveling at faster speeds.

[0045] Rows 280 through 295 show various user defined settings withcorresponding notification levels. Row 280 shows that the user does notwish to be notified of altitude changes in the range of 0-30 feet whenthe user is traveling between 0-150 mph. This is because the altitudechange is relatively minor and the user is traveling at slow speeds.

[0046] Row 285 shows that the user requests a “WARNING” message to bedisplayed when altitude changes occur greater than 30 feet when the useris traveling between 0-150 mph. This is because even though the user istraveling at slow speeds, the altitude change is significant enough thatthe user wishes to be notified. Row 290 shows that the user requests a“WARNING” message to be displayed when altitude changes occur between10-30 feet when the user is traveling between 151-300 mph. This isbecause even though the altitude change is not significant, the user istravel at a fast speed and, therefore, the user is approaching alow-pressure front at a faster rate than if the user were traveling atslower speeds. Row 295 shows that the user requests an “ALERT” messageto be displayed when altitude changes occur greater than 30 feet whenthe user is traveling between 151-300 mph. This is because the user isapproaching a low pressure front at a fast rate and the user's aircraftexperienced a significant altitude change.

[0047]FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing steps taken in calculating andprocessing pressure changes. Processing commences at 300, whereuponprocessing retrieves a fixed reference pressure reading from data store335 (step 305). A pilot, prior to take-off, sets the fixed referencepressure reading by monitoring a weather channel that provides apressure reading at his departing airport. For example, a pilot may bedeparting from an airport and tune his radio to his departing airport'sweather channel which provides him with a pressure reading at theairport, such as 29.92 inches of mercury (in. Hg). In this example, thepilot sets his Kollsman indicator located on his altimeter to thepressure reading he heard on the weather channel (e.g. 29.92 in. Hg)which is stored in data store 335. Data store 335 may be stored on anon-volatile storage area, such as random access memory.

[0048] Processing retrieves global positioning system (GPS) data fromGPS device 315 at step 310. GPS device 315 may be a portable commercialdevice that a pilot uses in his aircraft which calculates latitude,longitude, and altitude information using signals received from globalpositioning satellites. The GPS data includes a true altitudemeasurement corresponding to the altitude of the aircraft. For example,an aircraft's true altitude measurement may be 9,995 feet whereas thepilot's barometric altimeter reads 10,000 feet (see below).

[0049] Processing receives an altimeter measurement from altimeter 325at step 320. Altimeter 325 is an onboard altimeter that provides analtitude measurement for a pilot to view.

[0050] Processing uses the GPS true altitude measurement, the fixedreference pressure, and the altimeter measurement to calculate an actualpressure at step 330 using the following formula:$\frac{{Fixed}\quad {Reference}\quad {Pressure}}{{Actual}\quad {Pressure}} = \frac{{Altimeter}\quad {Altitude}\quad {Reading}}{{GPS}\quad {True}\quad {Altitude}}$

[0051] Using the example described above, the actual pressure iscalculated as follows: $\begin{matrix}{\frac{29.92\quad {{in}.\quad {Hg}}}{{Actual}\quad {Pressure}} = \frac{10,000\quad {Feet}}{9,995\quad {Feet}}} \\{{{Actual}\quad {Pressure}} = {29.91\quad {{in}.\quad {Hg}}}}\end{matrix}$

[0052] Processing retrieves a preceding calculated pressure value fromdata store 335 (step 340). Pressure calculations may be taken atparticular intervals, such as every ten seconds, in order to trackchanging weather conditions. Processing calculates and stores a pressurechange in data store 335 at step 345. The pressure change is thedifference between the preceding stored pressure and the new actualpressure. Using the example described above, the pressure change iscalculated as follows:

29.92 in. Hg−29.91 in. Hg=0.01 in. Hg pressure change

[0053] Processing also calculates the altitude change between the GPStrue altitude measurement and the barometric altitude measurement (step350). Using the example described above, the altitude change iscalculated as follows:

10,000 feet−9,995 feet=5 feet altitude change

[0054] In one embodiment, processing does not use pressure changes toidentify atmospheric condition changes but rather uses altitude changemeasurements as an indicator as to the stability of the atmosphericconditions.

[0055] Processing may be configured to sample altitude measurementsfrequently. However, processing may not wish to store each measurementunless a particular measurement is different than its precedingmeasurement. A determination is made as to whether the new pressurecalculation is different than the preceding pressure calculation(decision 360). If the new pressure is not different than its precedingpressure calculation, decision 360 branches to “No” branch 362 whichloops back to retrieve and process altitude data. This looping continuesuntil the new pressure measurement is different than its precedingpressure measurement, at which point decision 360 branches to “Yes”branch 368 whereupon altitude and pressure data are processed(pre-defined process block 370, see FIG. 4 and corresponding text forfurther details).

[0056] A determination is made as to whether to continue trackingatmospheric conditions (decision 380). For example, processing may trackatmospheric conditions until an aircraft lands. If processing shouldcontinue to track atmospheric conditions, decision 380 branches to “Yes”branch 382 which loops back to retrieve and process altitude data. Thislooping continues until processing should halt, at which point decision380 branches to “No” branch 388 whereupon processing ends at 390.

[0057]FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing steps taken in analyzing pressuredata along with aircraft speed, and notifying a user based upon userpreferences. Data processing commences at 400, whereupon processingretrieves a new altitude change value from data store 415. The newaltitude change was previously calculated using a GPS true altitudemeasurement (see FIG. 3 and corresponding text for further detailsregarding altitude change calculations). Data store 415 may be stored ona non-volatile storage area, such as random access memory.

[0058] Processing retrieves the aircraft's speed from air speedindicator 425 at step 420. An aircraft's speed is useful in identifyingthe criticality of changing weather conditions. For example, an aircraftthat is traveling at 400 mph will encounter severe weather conditionstwice as fast as an aircraft that is traveling at 200 mph. Processingretrieves user preferences from preferences store 435 at step 430. Theuser preferences include notification preferences corresponding toaltitude changes and aircraft speed (see FIG. 2B and corresponding textfor further details regarding user preferences). Preference store 435may be stored on a non-volatile storage area, such as random accessmemory.

[0059] A determination is made as to whether to notify the user(decision 440). For example, a user's aircraft may be traveling at 200mph and its altitude change is five feet, in which case the user mayhave configured his user preferences such that the user is not notifiedin these particular situations.

[0060] If processing should not notify the user, decision 440 branchesto “No” branch 442 bypassing user notification steps. On the other hand,if processing should notify the user, decision 440 branches to “Yes”branch 448 whereupon a determination is made as to the severity of thenotification (decision 450). If the conditions are not critical but theuser wishes to be notified, decision 450 branches to “No” branch 452whereupon processing displays a “Warning” message on display 470. On theother hand, if the conditions are critical, decision 450 branches to“Yes” branch 458 whereupon processing displays an “Alert” message ondisplay 470.

[0061] Processing waits for the user to acknowledge the notificationmessage, and proceeds to process user requests corresponding toalternative flight information (predefined process block 490, see FIG. 5and corresponding text for further details). Processing returns at 495.

[0062]FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing steps taken in notifying a user ofpressure changes and providing alternative information in response to auser request. Processing commences at 500, whereupon processing displaysaltitude and pressure data along with a notification message to user 515(step 510). For example, the user's aircraft may be approaching anupcoming low pressure area at 300 mph, and a user's weather tracker hascalculated an altitude change of 50 feet. In this example, the user maybe notified with an “Alert” message on his display as well as displayingthe pressure change and altitude change values (see FIG. 2B andcorresponding text for further details regarding pilot notification).

[0063] A determination is made as to whether the user acknowledges thenotification (decision 520). For example, processing may require theuser to select an “OK” button which informs processing that the user isaware of the notification message. If the user has not acknowledged thenotification message, decision 520 branches to “No” branch 522 whichloops back to continue displaying the notification message. This loopingcontinues until the user acknowledges the notification message, at whichpoint decision 520 branches to “Yes” branch 528.

[0064] A determination is made as to whether user 515 wishes to viewalternative flight information (decision 530). For example, the user maywish to land his aircraft at a nearby airport due to weather conditionsand wish to view the nearest airport. If the user does not wish to viewalternative flight information, decision 530 branches to “No” branch 532whereupon processing returns at 535. On the other hand, if user 515wishes to view alternative flight information, decision 530 branches to“Yes” branch 538 whereupon a determination is made as to whether theuser wishes to view local airport locations (decision 540).

[0065] If the user does not wish to view local airport information,decision 540 branches to “No” branch 542 bypassing local airportinformation retrieval steps. On the other hand, if the user wishes toview local airport information, decision 540 branches to “Yes” branch548 whereupon processing retrieves local airport information from GPSdevice 555 at step 550. GPS device 555 is a global positioning system(GPS) device that user 515 may carry onboard his aircraft and includesstandard software that uses user 515's position to identify localairport locations.

[0066] A determination is made as to whether user 515 wishes to viewalternative flight pattern routes (decision 560). For example, user 515may wish to fly further south in order to avoid a low pressure frontthat is moving from the North. If user 515 does not wish to viewalternative flight pattern routes, decision 560 branches to “No” branch562 bypassing alternative flight pattern retrieval steps. On the otherhand, if user 515 wishes to view alternative flight pattern routes,decision 560 branches to “Yes” branch 568 whereupon processing retrievesflight pattern routes from GPS device 555 at step 570. GPS device 555includes standard software that identifies flight patterns based upon auser's current location and the user's destination. Processing returnsat 580.

[0067]FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a piloted vehicle collectingatmospheric data and sending the atmospheric data to a weather server.Aircraft 600 includes weather data collector 610 which samplesatmospheric information from various sensors that are located onboardaircraft 600. For example, aircraft 600 may be a commercial airliner andweather data collector 610 retrieves atmospheric data from sensorslocated on the commercial airliner.

[0068] Aircraft 600 includes sensors to collect informationcorresponding to its surroundings such as barometric altimeter 615, GPS620, thermometer 625, and air speed indicator 630. Barometric altimeter615 samples air pressure that surrounds aircraft 600 and converts theair pressure to an altitude value (see FIGS. 1, 2A, and correspondingtext for further details regarding barometric altimeter measurements).GPS 620 calculates latitude, longitude, and altitude informationcorresponding to aircraft 600's location using signals received fromglobal positioning satellites. GPS 620 calculates a true altitudemeasurement corresponding to aircraft 600's altitude which is notdistorted by changing pressure conditions. Thermometer 625 measures thetemperature of aircraft 600's surroundings and air speed indicator 630measures the wind speed that aircraft 600 is traveling.

[0069] Weather data collector 610 collects atmospheric data from sensors615 through 630 and stores the atmospheric data in data store 635.Weather data collector 610 may use the atmospheric data to calculateother atmospheric conditions, such as pressure changes (see FIGS. 1-5and corresponding text for further details regarding pressure changecalculations). Data store 635 may be stored on a non-volatile storagearea, such as random access memory. Weather data collector 610 retrievespreference information from preferences store 640 and identifies a timeat which to send the atmospheric data to a weather server, such asweather server 680. The preferences may include information such as atransmission interval time and atmospheric data threshold settings (seeFIG. 8 and corresponding text for further details regarding preferenceinformation).

[0070] Weather data collector 610 formats the atmospheric data and usestransponder 645 to send weather data 650 to tower 660 (i.e. air trafficcontrol tower). Tower 660 receives weather data 650 using transceiver665 and forwards weather data 650 to weather server 680 though computernetwork 670, such as the Internet. In one embodiment, weather datacollector 610 provides atmospheric data to transponder 645 each timethat tower 660 queries aircraft 600.

[0071] Weather server 680 analyzes the atmospheric data, and may updateaircraft 600's preferences, such as its transmission interval. Forexample, if aircraft 600 is approaching an area with rapidly changingweather conditions, weather server 680 may wish to more frequentlyreceive atmospheric data. If weather server 680 wishes to updateaircraft 600's preferences, weather server 680 sends preferences 690 totower 660 through computer network 670. In turn, tower 660 usestransceiver 665 to send preferences 690 to transponder 645. Transponder645 forwards the new preferences to weather data collector 610 which, inturn, stores the new preferences in preferences store 640.

[0072]FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a plurality of aircraft collectingatmospheric data and providing the data to a plurality of air trafficcontrol towers. Each aircraft shown in FIG. 7 includes an onboardweather data collector which collects atmospheric data and sends theatmospheric data to a nearby air traffic control tower In turn, theaircraft control tower forwards the atmospheric data to a weather serverthat uses the data to update weather forecasts. The example shown inFIG. 7 depicts various pressure readings in inches of mercury (in. Hg)that each aircraft measures (e.g. 27 in. Hg, 28 in. Hg, or 29 in. Hg).

[0073] Towers 700, 705, 710, and 715 are positioned at various locations(i.e. airports) and each tower receives atmospheric data via telemetryfrom an aircraft that is flying in the tower's airspace. For example,tower 700 may receive atmospheric data from aircraft 720 whereas tower715 may receive atmospheric data from aircraft 735.

[0074] Aircrafts 720, 730, 735, and 740 are measuring an air pressure of29 in. Hg. Aircrafts 745, 750, 755, and 760 are measuring an airpressure of 28 in. Hg and aircraft 765 is measuring an air pressure of27 in. Hg. As each aircraft moves along its designated flight patterns,a weather server receives air pressure updates and the weather serveruses the pressure data to identify pressure zones. The weather serveranalyzes the pressure data and plots pressure zone lines 770, 780, and790 which show pressure areas corresponding to particular geographicalareas.

[0075] A weather server is able to send preference information to aparticular aircraft which includes an interval rate at which to collectatmospheric data (see FIGS. 6, 8, and corresponding text for furtherdetails regarding preference settings). For example, a weather servermay wish to collect an extensive amount of data corresponding to aparticular geographical area and identifies aircraft that are flying, orwill be flying, through the geographical area. In this example, theweather server may instruct each identified aircraft to send atmosphericdata at one-minute intervals.

[0076]FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing steps taken in an aircraft sendingatmospheric data to a weather server and receiving preferences settingsfrom the weather server. Atmospheric data collection processingcommences at 800, whereupon processing queries various sensors onboard apiloted vehicle and performs various calculations using the collectedatmospheric data (pre-defined process block 805, see FIG. 9 andcorresponding text for further details).

[0077] Processing retrieves preferences settings from preferences store815 at step 808. Preferences settings include an interval time, such as30 minutes, that the piloted aircraft is to send atmospheric data to theweather service. Preferences settings also include threshold settingscorresponding to particular atmospheric data. For example, a thresholdsetting may be set such that if a pressure change exceeds a particularvalue, such as three inches of mercury, the piloted aircraft sends theatmospheric data to a weather server.

[0078] Processing compares the collected and calculated atmospheric datawith preferences settings at step 810. A determination is made as towhether at least one of the atmospheric data exceeds one or morethreshold settings included in the preferences settings (decision 820).If the atmospheric data exceeds one of the corresponding thresholdsettings, decision 820 branches to “Yes” branch 822 whereupon processingsends atmospheric data to the weather server at step 825.

[0079] On the other hand, if the atmospheric data does not exceed one ofthe threshold settings included in the preferences settings, decision820 branches to “No” branch 824 whereupon a determination is made as towhether processing has reached a transmission time interval (decision830). For example, a transmission time interval may be configured suchthat a piloted vehicle sends atmospheric data to a weather server atten-minute intervals. If processing has reached the transmission timeinterval, decision 830 branches to “Yes” branch 832 whereupon processingsends the atmospheric data to the weather server at step 825. On theother hand, if processing has not reached the transmission timeinterval, decision 630 branches to “No” branch 834.

[0080] A determination is made as to whether processing receivedpreferences setting changes from the weather server (decision 835). Forexample, the piloted vehicle may be approaching an area with rapidlychanging weather conditions and the weather server may wish to receiveatmospheric data more frequently. If the piloted aircraft receivedpreference changes from the weather server, decision 835 branches to“Yes” branch 836 whereupon processing stores the preferences changes inpreferences store 815 at step 840. On the other hand, if the pilotedvehicle did not receive preferences changes from the weather server,decision 835 branches to “No” branch 838 bypassing preferences storingsteps.

[0081] A determination is made as to whether to continue processing(decision 845). For example, an aircraft may continue to sampleatmospheric data and send the data to the weather server until theaircraft lands at an airport. If processing should continue, decision845 branches to “Yes” branch 846 which loops back to collect and processmore atmospheric data. This looping continues until processing shouldhalt, at which point decision 845 branches to “No” branch 848 whereuponprocessing ends at 850.

[0082] Weather server processing commences at 855, whereupon the serverreceives atmospheric data that is sent from the piloted vehicle (step860). Processing stores the atmospheric data in data store 870 at step865. Data store 865 may be stored on a non-volatile storage area, suchas random access memory. The weather server analyzes the data at step875 to identify trends or rapidly changing weather conditions. Forexample, an aircraft may have been sending atmospheric data thatincludes a pressure change of zero inches of mercury, and its latestreceived pressure change is five inches of mercury. In this example, theweather server identifies that significant changes are occurring inatmospheric conditions that surround the aircraft.

[0083] A determination is made as to whether the weather server wishesto update preferences settings for the piloted vehicle based upon itsdata analysis (decision 880). If the weather server wishes to updatepreferences, decision 880 branches to “Yes” branch 882 whereuponprocessing sends new preference settings to the piloted aircraft at step885. On the other hand, if the weather server does not wish to changepreference settings, decision 880 branches to “No” branch 884 bypassingpreference change sending steps.

[0084] A determination is made as to whether to continue processing(decision 890) For example, the weather server may continue processinguntil each aircraft that is providing atmospheric data has landed. Ifprocessing should continue, decision 890 branches to “Yes” branch 892which loops back to receive and process more atmospheric data. Thislooping continues until processing should halt, at which point decision890 branches to “No” branch 898 whereupon processing ends at 899.

[0085]FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing steps taken in a piloted vehiclecollecting atmospheric data from onboard sensors. Data collectingprocessing commences at 900, whereupon processing selects a first sensorfrom sensors 920 (step 910). For example, the piloted vehicle may be anaircraft and sensors 920 may include a barometric altimeter, a GPS unit,a thermometer, and an air speed indicator. Processing retrievesatmospheric data from the selected sensor and stores the atmosphericdata in data store 940. Using the example described above, a barometricaltimeter provides pressure and altitude information which processingreceives and stores in data store 940. Data store 940 may be stored on anon-volatile storage area, such as random access memory.

[0086] A determination is made as to whether to analyze the data(decision 950). For example, processing may not decide to analyzetemperature information but may decide to analyze altitude informationin order to determine if the piloted vehicle is entering a low pressurefront (see FIGS. 1 through 6 and corresponding text for further detailsregarding altitude analysis). If processing should not analyze the data,decision 950 branches to “No” branch 952 bypassing data analysis steps.On the other hand, if processing should analyze the atmospheric data,decision 950 branches to “Yes” branch 958 whereupon processing analyzesthe sensor data at step 960. Sensor data analysis may include variousatmospheric calculations. Using the example described above, processingmay use altimeter data and Global Positioning System (GPS) data tocalculate pressure readings, changes in pressure, and changes inaltitude (see FIGS. 1 through 6 and corresponding text for furtherdetails regarding atmospheric calculations).

[0087] A determination is made as to whether there are more sensors fromwhich to receive atmospheric data (decision 970). For example, anaircraft may include multiple onboard sensors that measure altitude,temperature, and wind speed. If there are more sensors from which tocollect sensor data, decision 970 branches to “Yes” branch 972 whichloops back to select the next sensor (step 980) and process sensor datafrom the next sensor. This looping continues until there are no moresensors from which to receive data, at which point decision 970 branchesto “No” branch 978 whereupon processing returns at 990.

[0088]FIG. 10 illustrates information handling system 1001 which is asimplified example of a computer system capable of performing thecomputing operations described herein. Computer system 1001 includesprocessor 1000 which is coupled to host bus 1002. A level two (L2) cachememory 1004 is also coupled to host bus 1002. Host-to-PCI bridge 1006 iscoupled to main memory 1008, includes cache memory and main memorycontrol functions, and provides bus control to handle transfers amongPCI bus 1010, processor 1000, L2 cache 1004, main memory 1008, and hostbus 1002. Main memory 1008 is coupled to Host-to-PCI bridge 1006 as wellas host bus 1002. Devices used solely by host processor(s) 1000, such asLAN card 1030, are coupled to PCI bus 1010. Service Processor Interfaceand ISA Access Pass-through 1012 provides an interface between PCI bus1010 and PCI bus 1014. In this manner, PCI bus 1014 is insulated fromPCI bus 1010. Devices, such as flash memory 1018, are coupled to PCI bus1014. In one implementation, flash memory 1018 includes BIOS code thatincorporates the necessary processor executable code for a variety oflow-level system functions and system boot functions.

[0089] PCI bus 1014 provides an interface for a variety of devices thatare shared by host processor(s) 1000 and Service Processor 1016including, for example, flash memory 1018. PCI-to-ISA bridge 1035provides bus control to handle transfers between PCI bus 1014 and ISAbus 1040, universal serial bus (USB) functionality 1045, powermanagement functionality 1055, and can include other functional elementsnot shown, such as a real-time clock (RTC), DMA control, interruptsupport, and system management bus support. Nonvolatile RAM 1020 isattached to ISA Bus 1040. Service Processor 1016 includes JTAG and I2Cbusses 1022 for communication with processor(s) 1000 duringinitialization steps. JTAG/I2C busses 1022 are also coupled to L2 cache1004, Host-to-PCI bridge 1006, and main memory 1008 providing acommunications path between the processor, the Service Processor, the L2cache, the Host-to-PCI bridge, and the main memory. Service Processor1016 also has access to system power resources for powering downinformation handling device 1001.

[0090] Peripheral devices and input/output (I/O) devices can be attachedto various interfaces (e.g., parallel interface 1062, serial interface1064, keyboard interface 1068, and mouse interface 1070 coupled to ISAbus 1040. Alternatively, many I/O devices can be accommodated by a superI/O controller (not shown) attached to ISA bus 1040.

[0091] In order to attach computer system 1001 to another computersystem to copy files over a network, LAN card 1030 is coupled to PCI bus1010. Similarly, to connect computer system 1001 to an ISP to connect tothe Internet using a telephone line connection, modem 1075 is connectedto serial port 1064 and PCI-to-ISA Bridge 1035.

[0092] While the computer system described in FIG. 10 is capable ofexecuting the processes described herein, this computer system is simplyone example of a computer system. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that many other computer system designs are capable ofperforming the processes described herein.

[0093] One of the preferred implementations of the invention is anapplication, namely, a set of instructions (program code) in a codemodule which may, for example, be resident in the random access memoryof the computer. Until required by the computer, the set of instructionsmay be stored in another computer memory, for example, on a hard diskdrive, or in removable storage such as an optical disk (for eventual usein a CD ROM) or floppy disk (for eventual use in a floppy disk drive),or downloaded via the Internet or other computer network. Thus, thepresent invention may be implemented as a computer program product foruse in a computer. In addition, although the various methods describedare conveniently implemented in a general purpose computer selectivelyactivated or reconfigured by software, one of ordinary skill in the artwould also recognize that such methods may be carried out in hardware,in firmware, or in more specialized apparatus constructed to perform therequired method steps.

[0094] While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenshown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the artthat, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may bemade without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and,therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope allsuch changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scopeof this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that theinvention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will beunderstood by those with skill in the art that if a specific number ofan introduced claim element is intended, such intent will be explicitlyrecited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no suchlimitation is present. For a non-limiting example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimelements. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim element by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim element to inventions containing only one such element,even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more”or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an”; the sameholds true for the use in the claims of definite articles.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for informing a user of atmosphericcondition changes, said method comprising: retrieving a first valueusing a computer system, the first value corresponding to a firstaltitude of an aircraft; retrieving a second value using the computersystem, the second value corresponding to a second altitude of anaircraft; computing a value change using the first value and the secondvalue; and notifying the user in response to the value change.
 2. Themethod as described in claim 1 wherein the second value is an actualpressure that is calculated using a true altitude and wherein the firstvalue is a stored pressure that was stored prior to calculating theactual pressure.
 3. The method as described in claim 2 whereincalculating the actual pressure further comprises: receiving the truealtitude from a GPS device; receiving an altimeter altitude from analtimeter; retrieving a fixed reference pressure; performing thecalculating using the true altitude, the altimeter altitude, and thefixed reference pressure.
 4. The method as described in claim 1 whereinthe first value is a true altitude that is received from a GPS deviceand wherein the second value is an altimeter altitude that is receivedfrom an altimeter, the computing further comprising: subtracting thetrue altitude from the altimeter altitude.
 5. The method as described inclaim 1 wherein the value change is an altitude change, the methodfurther comprising: retrieving an aircraft speed; retrieving one or moreuser preferences; determining whether to display a notification messageto the user based upon the altitude change, the aircraft speed, and atleast one of the user preferences; and performing the notifying, whereinthe notifying includes displaying a notification message in response tothe determination.
 6. The method as described in claim 5 wherein thenotification message is selected from the group consisting of a warningmessage and an alert message.
 7. The method as described in claim 1further comprising: receiving a user request from the user; anddisplaying alternative flight information corresponding to the userrequest.
 8. The method as described in claim 7 wherein the alternativeflight information is selected from the group consisting of an airportlocation and an alternative flight pattern.
 9. The method as describedin claim 1 wherein the notifying includes display one or more altitudevalues, wherein at least one of the altitude values are selected fromthe group consisting of a true altitude, an altimeter altitude, anactual pressure, a pressure change, and an altitude change.
 10. Themethod as described in claim 1 wherein the notifying is performed usingan audio signal.
 11. An information handling system comprising: one ormore processors; a memory accessible by the processors; one or morenonvolatile storage devices accessible by the processors; and a weathertracking tool to notify a user of atmospheric condition changes, theweather tracking tool including: means for retrieving a first value fromthe memory, the first value corresponding to a first altitude of anaircraft; means for retrieving a second value from the memory, thesecond value corresponding to a second altitude of an aircraft; meansfor computing a value change using the first value and the second value;and means for notifying the user using a display in response to thevalue change.
 12. The information handling system as described in claim11 wherein the second value is an actual pressure that is calculatedusing a true altitude and wherein the first value is a stored pressurethat was stored prior to calculating the actual pressure.
 13. Theinformation handling system as described in claim 12 wherein calculatingthe actual pressure further comprises: means for receiving the truealtitude from a GPS device; means for receiving an altimeter altitudefrom an altimeter; means for retrieving a fixed reference pressure;means for performing the calculating using the true altitude, thealtimeter altitude, and the fixed reference pressure.
 14. Theinformation handling system as described in claim 11 wherein the firstvalue is a true altitude that is received from a GPS device and whereinthe second value is an altimeter altitude that is received from analtimeter, the computing further comprising: means for subtracting thetrue altitude from the altimeter altitude.
 15. The information handlingsystem as described in claim 11 wherein the value change is an altitudechange, the information handling system further comprising: means forretrieving an aircraft speed; means for retrieving one or more userpreferences; means for determining whether to display a notificationmessage to the user based upon the altitude change, the aircraft speed,and at least one of the user preferences; and means for performing thenotifying, wherein the notifying includes displaying a notificationmessage in response to the determination.
 16. The information handlingsystem as described in claim 15 wherein the notification message isselected from the group consisting of a warning message and an alertmessage.
 17. The information handling system as described in claim 11further comprising: means for receiving a user request from the user;and means for displaying alternative flight information corresponding tothe user request.
 18. The information handling system as described inclaim 17 wherein the alternative flight information is selected from thegroup consisting of an airport location and an alternative flightpattern.
 19. The information handling system as described in claim 11wherein the notifying is performed using an audio signal.
 20. Theinformation handling system as described in claim 11 wherein thenotifying includes display one or more altitude values, wherein at leastone of the altitude values are selected from the group consisting of atrue altitude, an altimeter altitude, an actual pressure, a pressurechange, and an altitude change.
 21. A computer program product stored ona computer operable media for notifying a user of atmospheric conditionchanges, said computer program product comprising: means for retrievinga first value using a computer system, the first value corresponding toa first altitude of an aircraft; means for retrieving a second valueusing the computer system, the second value corresponding to a secondaltitude of an aircraft; means for computing a value change using thefirst value and the second value; and means for notifying the user inresponse to the value change.
 22. The computer program product asdescribed in claim 21 wherein the second value is an actual pressurethat is calculated using a true altitude and wherein the first value isa stored pressure that was stored prior to calculating the actualpressure.
 23. The computer program product as described in claim 22wherein calculating the actual pressure further comprises: means forreceiving the true altitude from a GPS device; means for receiving analtimeter altitude from an altimeter; means for retrieving a fixedreference pressure; means for performing the calculating using the truealtitude, the altimeter altitude, and the fixed reference pressure. 24.The computer program product as described in claim 21 wherein the firstvalue is a true altitude that is received from a GPS device and whereinthe second value is an altimeter altitude that is received from analtimeter, the computing further comprising: means for subtracting thetrue altitude from the altimeter altitude.
 25. The computer programproduct as described in claim 21 wherein the value change is an altitudechange, the computer program product further comprising: means forretrieving an aircraft speed; means for retrieving one or more userpreferences; means for determining whether to display a notificationmessage to the user based upon the altitude change, the aircraft speed,and at least one of the user preferences; and means for performing thenotifying, wherein the notifying includes displaying a notificationmessage in response to the determination.
 26. The computer programproduct as described in claim 25 wherein the notification message isselected from the group consisting of a warning message and an alertmessage.
 27. The computer program product as described in claim 21further comprising: means for receiving a user request from the user;and means for displaying alternative flight information corresponding tothe user request.
 28. The computer program product as described in claim27 wherein the alternative flight information is selected from the groupconsisting of an airport location and an alternative flight pattern. 29.The computer program product as described in claim 21 wherein thenotifying is performed using an audio signal.
 30. The computer programproduct as described in claim 21 wherein the notifying includes displayone or more altitude values, wherein at least one of the altitude valuesare selected from the group consisting of a true altitude, an altimeteraltitude, an actual pressure, a pressure change, and an altitude change.